


Good Friends Aren't So Hard To Find

by TinkerBella



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 21:01:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10369341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinkerBella/pseuds/TinkerBella
Summary: AZGirl wanted a story about when Jack and Bozer first met and how they might not have gotten along all that well, making it difficult on Mac.  This is that story, kind of in a round about way.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AZGirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AZGirl/gifts).



The team, including Bozer, had landed a mission in Jackson Hole Wyoming. The teenaged daughter of a high ranking American politician in Washington D.C. had been kidnapped. A Congresswoman, no less. She had a gambling addiction and had gone into deep debt in a high stakes poker game, losing over a million dollars to a Japanese businessman who dealt in international trading of the black market kind. When she couldn't pay him back in cash, he had agreed to take his winnings in another way. 

 

What he asked her to do would have been treason against her country so she had declined in the end. In retaliation her daughter was taken, and she had reached out to the Phoenix Foundation to bring her daughter back. An agreement had been reached, although the Congresswoman would ultimately resign and quietly fade into the background. So Mac and his team had been sent to retrieve the girl, which they had done with surprisingly little difficulty. Sure there had been a few fights, bullets flying a time or two, and Bozer was certain he'd sprained his pinky punching one of the bad guys. 

 

However, they were able to drop the teenage girl at ex-fil, leaving the FBI to deliver her safely into her Mother's arms. It was only then that Jack had realized Mac was bleeding. Which was when MacGyver had been forced to confess that he'd been shot while protecting the girl, but that it was a through and through in the meaty part of his shoulder, totally missing his collar bone. At which point he had passed out from blood loss only to wake up in the hospital.

 

Just as Mac had told Jack, the bullet had done minimal damage and the doctor had agreed to release MacGyver, so long as he rested. Jack had assured her that all they would be doing was flying home and he would put Mac straight to bed once they arrived. Before they could board the plane, however, they had to make the three hour drive to the private airport.

 

Once they were on the road and on their way, that was when things started going sideways. Apparently the bad guys weren't happy at losing the girl - which meant losing their payback - and they appeared out of no where, pumping the team's vehicle full of bullets. Riley had been driving, leaving Jack to shoot back, and he nailed the tires, sending the car careening into a guard rail and rolling over it before exploding.

 

Which was the only positive, being as the bad guys had hit the gas tank of the team's car and they ran out of gas a few minutes later, leaving them stranded on the winding road in what was pretty much wilderness. The private airport they were heading to was still a two hours drive away and there was no way Mac could walk their with his injury. Not to mention the fact that the temperature had dropped to freezing and none of them were dressed in cold weather gear.

 

"Everyone stay in the car," Jack ordered. "I'll hike back a ways to make sure no one else is coming for us and, hopefully, some good Samaritan will come by and give us a ride."

 

In theory, it was a good plan. In reality, there was no chance of it going so smoothly. The bad guys were still coming for them and Jack was close to being out of bullets. He hightailed it back to the car and the foursome took off into the woods. Jack hated the fact that Mac was hurting, although the kid didn't complain as he kept up with them.

 

They stayed on the move for a good twenty minutes before Jack allowed them to rest. He back tracked a bit and heard and saw signs that the bad guys were trying to follow them. They had no choice but to keep going. Another twenty minutes and Jack was pretty sure they had either lost the bad guys, or they had given up and turned back. Which was good news, but the bad news was that the team was lost in woods and MacGyver had run out of steam.

 

Jack studied the kid, who was leaning against a tree and trying not to look like he was going to topple over any minute. He wore a sling strapping his left arm to his body to keep his shoulder immobilized, which meant his leather jacket was hanging off that side. None of them were feeling the cold that much, after all the running, but they would be feeling it soon. Jack knew he had to get Mac somewhere warm so that he could rest.

 

"Did anyone notice any houses nearby?" Jack queried, as he turned in a slow circle to search the area for any signs of life, so to speak.

 

"I haven't seen anything," Riley replied.

 

"Or anyone," Bozer added. "Maybe we should head back to the road? There's no cell service out here and Mac isn't looking to good."

 

That MacGyver didn't speak up in protest to that comment, was worrying. Jack was at a loss as to what they should do. He knew going back to the car wouldn't be wise, because he had no doubt that the bad guys would be lying in wait for them. They had the advantage of a warm car that was in working order, so time was on their side. 

 

Although he wasn't feeling up to par, Mac's brain was still whirring. "If we head east we'll be able to meet up with the road again a few miles down. We can at least get close enough to get cell service and call for ride."

 

"Good idea." Jack approved. He moved to Mac's good side and wrapped an arm around the slender waist. "Do not give me a hard time about helping you," he ordered. "You're running on fumes, bud, and you know it."

 

"I didn't say a word," Mac protested, mainly because he couldn't argue with the truth. He felt light-headed, his legs felt rubbery and his shoulder was killing him. He knew he wasn't going to be on his feet much longer.

 

Bozer spoke up. "So which way is east?"

 

Riley and Mac pointed in the same direction.

 

"Okay," Bozer stated. "Since Mac pretty much knows everything I get how he would know which way to go, but how did you know, Riley?"

 

She looked offended before pointing to her watch. "It has a compass feature," she drawled.

 

Bozer was impressed. "Nice." Only he yelped a moment later when Riley punched him hard in the arm, before stepping forward to join Jack and MacGyver as they moved off East.

 

Nearly an hour passed, during which Jack had come close to giving in to the urge to simply carry MacGyver. The kid was stubborn as hell and Jack knew it was only sheer stubbornness that kept him on his feet right now. He was cold, trembling, hurting and bleeding again. Jack was worried about him, but he kept his cocerns to himself since there wasn't anything he could do to help in this moment.

 

"I see something!" Riley called out. She had the compass so she had taken the lead. "There, just up ahead!" They were getting closer to the road, according to MacGyver, but they still had miles to go. Miles that Mac wouldn't be able to travel and they all knew it.

 

"I see it!" Jack confirmed. Up ahead was what appeared to be a small cabin. The windows were boarded over and it was run down and obviously abandoned, but it would offer them a modicum of shelter from the cold and allow MacGyver to rest up a bit.

 

They made their way to it and, not surprisingly, the door was locked. Jack kicked it in and Mac lit their way with the flashlight from his Swiss army knife. They hit the light switch but no luck. 

 

"Search for a generator out back," Mac suggested. "Given how far off the grid this place is, I'm betting a generator is the only way to power it."

 

"Makes sense," Jack replied. He called Bozer over to support MacGyver, because the kid was swaying on his feet. "I'll go look for the generator. Everyone wait here." He ran out the door and around to the back and, sure enough, there was a large generator. Whispering a little prayer, Jack flipped the switch and held his breath as it rattled a bit before powering on. He whooped, albeit quietly, then ran back inside to see that the lights were on and MacGyver was sitting in one of two folding chairs while Riley and Bozer explored the rest of the place. 

 

It was small, dusty, and mostly empty. Other than the two chairs in what was a small kitchen and livingroom combination, there was a card table, a wood stove in the corner with a large fire place taking up most of one wall.

 

Jack studied MacGyver and the kid looked done in. He needed to lay down, warm up and rest. "Bozer, can you look for some blankets, we need to keep warm. I'm going to get some wood for the stove and fireplace."

 

"I'm on it," Bozer replied, moving off to check every cupboard and closet. Not that there were many places to check. There was only a small bedroom and a tiny bathroom, other than the main room. But he got lucky and found a cupboard packed with blankets. The comforter on the bed was dusty and Bozer yanked it off before dragging the mattress off the bed. Mac could lie on it by the fire to rest and warm up.

 

Riley stayed with MacGyver but searched the kitchen area and she found two oil lamps that might come in handy, should the generator conk out. When Bozer entered with the mattress, she ran over to help him carry it over to the fireplace.

 

Bozer thanked her. "I found blankets too, hang on." He ran back for them, offering one to Riley. "Spread it over the mattress." While she did that he set the others on the card table before helping MacGyver to his feet. Bozer was worried about his friend. Mac never once complained, but Bozer knew he was hurting and freezing and he was so pale that he looked almost translucent.

 

"Nap time," Riley said as she sat down at one end of the mattress, patting her lap for Mac to lay his head down on. 

 

"I'm not taking a nap," Mac grumbled, even as he allowed Bozer to settle him on the mattress with his head resting in Riley's lap. He was too dizzy and cold and tired to resist their efforts, physically, but he could still make a stand verbally.

 

Riley helped Bozer spread two blankets over MacGyver, before happily allowing one to be wrapped around her own shoulders. "I'm planning on napping," she replied. 

 

Jack chose that moment to enter the cabin with an armload of wood. "There's tons of wood stacked on the side of the cabin," he stated, as he moved to deposit his load next to the fire place. "Bozer, can you fill the wood stove while I take care of the fireplace?" he requested.

 

"I can do that," Bozer replied, grabbing several pieces and heading for the wood stove.

 

"Hey, Mac, how are you doing, bud?" Jack asked, as he stacked a triangle in the fireplace. Only to run up against a problem. "Crap." He patted his pockets even though he knew they didn't contain what he needed. "I need matches."

 

Bozer snapped his fingers. "There has to be some in here somewhere." He jumped up and started searching the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen.

 

Jack joined him in his frantic search and, at one point, they smacked into each other. "Look where you're going," Jack griped.

 

"You ran into me," Bozer shot back, which set them both off taunting each other.

 

"That brings back memories," MacGyver mumbled, as he and Riley listened to the duo.

 

Riley, who was being thoroughly entertained by Jack and Bozer's arguing, looked at Mac and asked, "What memories?"

 

MacGyver hissed as a cold chill shook him hard enough to send a spike of pain through his shoulder. He knew he was bleeding again, albeit sluggishly, and that he was at risk of slipping into shock if he couldn't warm up soon. But he didn't want to think about that, so he focused on Riley's question when he felt her fingers on his face and her concerned voice asking if he was okay.

 

"I'm fine," Mac replied. "I was just reminded of when Jack and Bozer first met."

 

"How long ago was that?" Riley queried.

 

MacGyver's brain felt sluggish so it took him a moment to consider before answering. "Um...about four years ago. I had been working with Jack for about a year before they first met."

 

Riley was intrigued. "That must have been epic."

 

"Actually, it was...weird," Mac confessed. He shifted a bit, hoping to ease the ache in his shoulder, but nothing helped. It probably was that much worse because he was so damn cold and couldn't stop shivering.

 

"There are no matches in this place!" Bozer interjected. "How can there be no matches?" He was frustrated and didn't even bother to hide it. He was cold and tired, so he couldn't even imagine how Mac was feeling, and he couldn't even find a damn match to start a fire with.

 

Jack totally understood Bozer's frustration because he felt the exact same way. "We'll figure something out."

 

Having heard them, Mac tried to dig into his pant's pocket with his good hand. He had suddenly remembered something, which he should have thought of sooner. "I have a lighter." He fumbled with trying to get it out, but it was hard between the blankets and his shivering and the fact that he was so cold he felt uncoordinated. But he finally got his fingers around it and pulled it out, only to find his hand trapped in the blankets.

 

Riley noticed Mac's frustration and she pulled the blankets back on his left side so he could hold up the green lighter. It was a simple thing but it felt like a huge win in this moment. 

 

"Yes!" Bozer crowed, jumping up and down as Jack went to Mac and took the lighter from him. He noticed how the older man made it a point to smooth the blankets back over MacGyver before turning away to kneel at the fireplace.

 

"Let there be fire!" Jack exclaimed, as he flicked the lighter and held the tiny flame to the kindling. He felt a swell of relief when the fire caught and he carefully nurtured it into a blaze. He then moved on to the woodstove and did the same. Since the cabin was small, Jack believed it would warm up fairly quickly. At least he hoped so, for MacGyver's sake. Once both fires were crackling, Jack tossed a blanket to Bozer and snagged one for himself. They both grabbed a chair and joined Riley and Mac by the fire place.

 

MacGyver was happy to soak up the heat emanating from the fireplace, but he felt cold to the bone and the ache in his shoulder was relentless. He knew he wasn't far off from slipping into shock but he was hoping force of will would prevent it.

 

Jack was watching Mac closely and he knew the kid was in bad shape. Now that they had the means to warm up, he needed to check on Mac's stitches. So he knelt beside the mattress and pulled the blanket down a bit. "I need to check on the bleeding, bud," he announced. He didn't like the fact that MacGyver was shaking with cold yet he looked flushed and was sweating. 

 

"It stopped bleeding," Mac assured him, because he had done what he could to apply pressure to it. He was sure it looked worse than it was.

 

"I need to check it," Jack insisted. "I'll be as careful as I can." He unhooked the strap on the sling, eased it down before unbuttoning Mac's shirt, then he lifted the corner of the self-adhesive bandage."

 

Riley watched before smacking herself in the forehead. "Bozer, hand me my back pack please." When he brought it to her she rummaged in it, being careful not to move too much since Mac's head was still in her lap. A moment later she pulled out a clean bandage and a small tube of ointment. The nurse had given them the supplies when Mac was released and Riley had stuffed them in her backpack. As she reached back in for an alcohol pad so Jack could clean the wound, her hand closed over a packet of pain pills the doctor had given them, since Mac had refused to have a prescription filled. She snagged them and the bottle of water she always kept handy and held them out to Jack.

 

Who was thrilled to see them. "Riley, you are an angel of mercy," Jack told her. He smiled at MacGyver. "Pain pills, bud. Take one now before I start cleaning things up. And do NOT even try to argue with me. You need them right now."

 

It was on the tip of Mac's tongue to argue, but he knew Jack was right. If he could bring his pain level down, there was less chance of him going into shock so he would take the pills. The water was surprisingly cold and actually tasted a bit like heaven as MacGyver swallowed the pain pill. He then nodded to Jack. "Do what you have to do." 

 

Jack was as careful as he could be, but he knew he was hurting Mac, although the kid didn't make a sound as Jack cleaned the stitches, spread the ointment and bandaged him back up. He then slid the sling back into place and pulled the blanket back up. "Good to go, bud," he said, smiling as he patted Mac on his good shoulder. But it wasn't really all that good. MacGyver had a fever and they needed to get him out of here and in a hospital. The kid was going to need fluids and an antibiotic ASAP. 

 

Bozer felt helpless as he watched Jack taking care of Mac. He wished there was something he could do. "How do we contact Matty and get out of here?" he asked.

 

"I'm going to hike back towards the road until I get a cell signal," Jack replied. He stood up and was ready to head out but Mac's plea stopped him.

 

"Please wait, Jack," MacGyver beseeched him. "You need to warm up first, hypothermia is no joke."

 

Jack shook his head. "We need to get you to a hospital, bud. You know you're not doing so good."

 

MacGyver nodded. "I know, but I can wait long enough for you to warm up." He locked eyes with Jack and willed his friend to see reason.

 

"I don't mind the cold," Jack countered.

 

"Just do as Mac says and wait," Bozer interjected, not liking the fact that Jack was upsetting MacGyver by being so stubborn.

 

Jack scowled at Bozer. "Hey man, this is an AB conversation, C your way out," he responded.

 

Which set Bozer off and the two of them started trading barbs and jibes.

 

Riley looked down at Mac. "Deja Vu?" 

 

"You have no idea," MacGyver replied. "This is mild and they're just reacting to the stress of the situation. Once upon a time it was mean-spirited and kinda ugly. Although they tried to hide it from me most of the time."

 

"So they haven't always been friends?" Riley was starting to catch on and it surprised her. Mac and Jack and Bozer seemed like a close-knit unit from the moment she'd met them all. 

 

Mac shook his head, which he instantly regretted. Even though he was supported by Riley's lap, moving his head caused a wave of dizziness that brought with it a touch of nausea and a blanket of darkness. Even though he fought against it, Mac felt himself drifting out of consciousness.

 

Riley watched as Mac's eyes rolled up in his head and he suddenly went still. Too still. "Jack!" Riley couldn't hide the panic in her voice.

 

"Mac! Hey, bud!" Jack was on his knees beside his friend in an instant. He was relieved when blue eyes suddenly blinked up at him. "Hey there, bro. You back with us?"

 

"Yeah..." Mac croaked. "Sorry..."

 

Jack smiled at him. "No problem, just don't do that again. Okay?"

 

MacGyver thought he managed to smile back as he promised, "No problem."

 

"What happened?" Jack asked Riley.

 

"I'm not sure." She looked at Jack and Bozer, who had joined them. "We were talking about the first time you two met. Apparently you guys weren't exactly best buds? Anyway, Mac's eyes rolled up in his head and he passed out."

 

Bozer was worried. "He needs to be in a hospital. We have to do something, he doesn't look so good."

 

MacGyver resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he replied, "HE is right here and can here you. I'm fine, Bozer. " At the skeptical look his friend gave him, Mac amended, "I'll be fine." He knew he needed medical attention, but he wasn't on the brink of death or anything. They would call for pick up and it would be all good.

 

"Mac's right," Jack confirmed. "I'll take a few minutes to warm up then I'll head out and call Matty and she'll have pick up here in no time."

 

"What if the bad guys are still looking for us?" Bozer countered. "What if they jump you and take you out and we're stuck here waiting for help that never comes and we die here!" He was babbling like a brook and he couldn't seem to stop himself, as panic washed over him in waves.

 

Jack chuckled. "Calm down, Mr. Worst Case Scenario. That's never going to happen."

 

Bozer glared at Jack. "How do you know that? You can't predict the future. It could totally happen."

 

"And they're off again," Mac quietly commented, but it was loud enough to stop his two friends from bickering.

 

"Huh..." Jack drawled. "This does feel like a blast from the past. Remember that first time we met?" he asked Bozer.

 

Wincing, Bozer nodded. "Not a fun day."

 

Riley's curiosity was bursting. "So what happened, exactly? Why didn't you two get along?"

 

"To tell it properly takes a bit of backstory," Jack countered. 

 

"Which Mac could probably explain the best," Bozer said, looking down at his friend. "You feeling up to it?"

 

Even though the pain pill was helping and he was starting to get warmer, MacGyver still felt pretty crappy so any way he could distract himself was a win. Telling the story of how Jack and Bozer met for the first time would totally work to get his mind off his misery. "Totally feeling up to it," he confirmed.

 

Riley was glad to hear that because she was eager to know what had happened. "So start talking, dude. I'm dying of curiosity."

 

"You have to remember that when I started working with Jack, Bozer still didn't know what I really did for a living," Mac began. "Jack and I had a bit of a rocky start, but then we connected and he was someone I could talk to about what I did. I felt like I had known him all my life."

 

"I felt the same way about Mac," Jack interjected. "But he also had Bozer in his life and he talked about him a lot or, rather, what constituted talking a lot for Mac." Because they all knew that MacGyver wasn't one to talk about himself or his life much at all.

 

Bozer picked up the story. "Mac also talked about his new friend, Jack, a lot and I wanted to meet him, but Mac kept finding excuses not to bring him over. That is until I bugged him enough so that he finally agreed to invite Jack over for dinner. As you know I make fantastic ribs, so I figured that would be a good way to break the ice and all. Thing is...a part of me didn't want to like Jack."

 

Riley was surprised to hear that. "Why not? I mean, I get that Jack is annoying and full of himself and all that, but why didn't you want to like him?" She ignored the fierce scowl Jack aimed at her.

 

"Here's the thing." Bozer paused to gather his thoughts. "You see, Mac and I were fast friends from the moment we met in middle school. I was his best friend, the one he talked to...when he did want to talk...and I was the one who looked out for him. But after he graduated early and went to MIT and then into the Army...things changed. I mean we were still fast friends, but I didn't get to see much of him anymore. That said, I was still his best friend. Even though I realize now that he wasn't sharing his real life with me, he still talked to me. I was still the guy who looked out for him."

 

"You're still that guy," Mac drawled, softly. "And I appreciate it more than you know." He meant it, because Bozer was the one person who kept him grounded, because nobody knew him better. Bozer was the only person who knew how Mac had struggled in his youth.

 

Bozer smiled at his best friend, then continued with the story. "So all of the sudden there's this other guy in Mac's life who got to hang out with him all the time. Not that they talked about what they did much, even though I now know that they were making up Think Tank stories to appease me. The things, right from the day I met Jack, it was as if he and Mac had a secret language that I couldn't understand and it...it pissed me off."

 

Jack picked up from there. "You were jealous," he stated bluntly, holding up a hand to ward off Bozer's protest. "It's a fact and I get it because, truth be told, I felt the same way."

 

"You were jealous of me?" Bozer couldn't hide his shock. "Why? What did you have to be jealous of? You knew the truth about what Mac did. You were a part of it. You were the one who got to spend all your time with him."

 

"But you knew his past and you were a permanent fixture in his life that I couldn't compete with," Jack countered, surprising himself by being so honest, but committing to it.

 

It was MacGyver's turn to be surprised. "Is that why you guys were butting heads? Because you felt like you were competing for my attention?"

 

Bozer and Jack answered as one. "Yeah." Then they looked at each other in surprise and started laughing.

 

"Oh." That gave Mac food for thought.

 

"Not to back track, Bozer," Riley interjected. "But what did you think Jack did at the Think Tank?"

 

Bozer snorted. "You know what, I never really thought about it much. Mac told me something about Jack being a Supervisor or something."

 

Jack put his two cents in. "I implied that I was the guy who kept the brainiacs in line. I would trouble shoot any issues and such."

 

"And you believed him?" Riley looked at Bozer in shock. 

 

"I didn't really think about that," Bozer confessed. "I was too caught up in feeling threatened by Jack's presence in Mac's life."

 

Riley could accept that. "So how did you two finally get past all that and become friends?" Because the one thing Riley knew for certain was that they were definitely friends now.

 

That question got Mac's attention, because it was something he had always wondered about as well. "I'd like the answer to that one," he confessed. "There was a time, Riley, when I thought it would never happen. I honestly thought it was going to get to the point where I would be forced to chose between them."

 

"That's what happened," Jack stated, as he and Bozer shared a look. Then he explained what he meant to Mac and Riley. "It got to the point between me and Bozer that the three of us couldn't be in the same room together, not without the level of tension being so high that I knew it made Mac uncomfortable. Every time we took one step forward in trying to get along, one of us would say something and we'd end up taking three steps back. After a while I could tell it was getting to Mac."

 

"I could tell as well," Bozer interjected. "I could see how it was stressing Mac out. He wasn't eating or sleeping well and I knew it was because of me and Jack. So when Jack texted me and asked if we could meet up, just the two of us, and hash it out between us...how could I refuse? Mac had just started dating Nikki and they were gone for a weekend getaway, so I invited Jack over and we sorted it out."

 

MacGyver was surprised to hear that. "I never knew," he confessed. "I mean, I knew things had changed between the two of you when I got home, but it was kind of subtle at first and, to be honest, I was so happy that you guys were finally getting along that I didn't question it."

 

Jack nodded. "Yeah...it took a lot of arguing, a six-pack of beer, and being completely honest with each other to make it happen."

 

"So what was the turning point?" Riley asked.

 

"We both could agree on one point," Bozer replied. "That how Jack and I felt about each other didn't matter, what did matter was Mac. We both mattered to him, and he needed us both, so we made that our priority. It made it easier for me to accept Jack in Mac's life and visa versa. After a time...I got know Jack and I realized he would always be there for Mac, that he would look out for him and take care of him when I couldn't. That made me feel better."

 

Mac was starting to feel sleepy now that he was warmer and the pain was more of a dull ache, and the fact that Riley was combing her fingers through his hair, no doubt unconsciously. But he was glad to finally learn how his two best friends had made nice with each other, but he did have one thing to gripe about. "You two do know I can take care of myself, right?"

 

Jack patted Mac on his good shoulder. "Of course we know that. Just like we know that you do your fair share of looking out for us, pal. It's a three-way street, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

 

"Me either," MacGyver acknowledged. "I don't know if I ever told you, but I am very grateful that the two of you worked things out." 

 

"I feel the same way," Bozer confessed. "But I do have a question, Mac. If Jack and I hadn't been able to work things out and you had been forced to chose between us, who would you have picked?" It was a question that niggled at him from time to time the past few years.

 

Mac closed his eyes, resisting the urge to just drift into unconsciousness so he wouldn't have to answer the unanswerable question. "Nikki asked me that when we went on our getaway."

 

Jack was surprised to hear that. "And what did you tell her?" he prompted.

 

"That I couldn't choose." Mac opened his eyes and looked at both of his friends. 

 

"You would have had to do something," Bozer insisted, his curiosity building. "What would you have done?"

 

MacGyver hadn't expected to ever share his solution, but he figured he owed them the truth. "I was going to leave," he admitted, and he could see the shock on all three faces as his words. 

 

Jack shook his head, unable to wrap his brain around what MacGyver had said. "Leave and go where? And do what?"

 

"Thornton had a job for me in New York," Mac replied. "Kind of doing the same thing. Nikki would have gone with me."

 

"You would have moved away from here? From me?" Bozer was in shock.

 

MacGyver winced at hearing the hurt in Bozer's voice. "I wouldn't have wanted to go, but you're my best friends and you hated each other. At least, that's what it felt like. I didn't see any other option than to remove myself from the picture. I felt like it was my fault you couldn't get along and since I couldn't tell you what I was really doing at the time, Bozer...it seemed the only choice I had. So you have no idea how glad I was that you two had worked things out by the time I got home."

 

Jack was glad they had worked things out as well. "I can't imagine my life without you, bud. So you know there is no way I would have let you go."

 

"Me either," Bozer piped up. "I guarantee if you had tried to leave we would have joined forces to hunt you down and bring you back."

 

"What he said," Jack confirmed.

 

Before Mac could respond he frowned as he heard what sounded like movement from outside. "Jack?" MacGyver hissed.

 

Jack heard it as well and was on his feet and at the door. He had his gun at the ready as he opened the door only to stare in surprise at an armed soldier he knew all too well. "Lenny? What are you doing here?"

 

"Rescuing you guys," Lenny replied. "Matty sent us."

 

"How did you find us?" Bozer asked. Not that he wasn't happy to see the Lenny and the other two guys.

 

Lenny pointed to Jack's watch, which had been a gift from Matty. "Your boss put a new, hi-tech, tracking device in your watch. We could find you even if you were buried underground with fifty feet of concrete over you."

 

Mac was also happy to see them. "Matty sent you when we missed our plane?" he guessed.

 

"She tried calling and couldn't reach any of you so she sent us straight out," Lenny replied. "You ready to move?"

 

"We are." Jack was already moving to help Mac get to his feet. He was also pleased when one of the soldiers brought in a duffle packed full of warm coats and gloves and hats. Once they were bundled up, Jack tried to get Mac to agree to being carried out on a stretcher to the clearing where Lenny said a helicopter was waiting for them.

 

MacGyver glared at Jack. "Not happening." He was conscious so he was going to move under his own steam, even though his legs felt like rubber and didn't really want to obey his commands.

 

Without a word, Jack and Bozer moved to either side of Mac to support him. Jack on MacGyver's good side to fully support him and Bozer on the other side with a hand to Mac's back to steady him. Moving as one unit they made their way to the clearing, which happened to be closer than they would have thought. With all the heavy duty flashlights to guide there way it was a lot easier to see where they were going.

 

Once on the helicopter, Lenny told then they would be taken to a nearby military base with a medical center so MacGyver could be checked over.

 

"I don't need to be checked over," Mac complained. "Let's just go home."

 

Which set Bozer and Jack both off arguing with him and each other about Mac's lack of regard to his own well-being. They didn't notice MacGyver's smile as he listened to them. 

 

Riley noticed and she closed her eyes to better enjoy the entertainment. 

 

MacGyver closed his eyes as well and dozed off to the good-natured bickering. When he woke up in a hospital bed, jolted awake by the sound of dual snoring, he relaxed back against the pillows in contentment.

 

Good friends weren't so hard to find, after all.

 

THE END


End file.
